Suffering In Silence-Short stories
by RavenRose8
Summary: As the title says, short stories from the end of the main story. Random stories and will vary in time periods but will all be pretty much after the events of the series.
1. Coping

_"Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the gods."_

 _― Peter A. Levine_

 **Coping.**

 **Six months later.**

 _Blood, screams, begging and bodies everywhere. She couldn't take a step forward without wading through blood so thick it looked like a lake._

 _Inside the blood were the bodies of the children she failed to save, the people she had killed or maimed, begging her not to do it before loud screams pierced through her ears and burst forth from her own mouth._

Ruby shot up and out of bed onto the floor. Quickly she half crawled and half ran to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet as she threw up her measly amount of food she had in her stomach.

Ruby had her head in the bowl as she emptied the contents of her stomach until only bile was being thrown up alongside it.

Neo was at her side, moving her now long hair out of the way while rubbing soothing circles on her back while whispering comforting words to Ruby.

They sat their together like that for almost an hour as Ruby couldn't stop herself from throwing up everything in her stomach and more.

Neo watched over her shoulder to make sure no blood was being thrown up at the same time but knew the chances of that happening were slim.

While Ruby was throwing up, in between each time she was rubbing her wrist in an attempt to calm herself down. On that wrist was a tattoo of black roses wrapped around her wrist with their stems locked together to make a bracelet.

After an hour when Ruby had finally stopped throwing up and was able to talk, although her voice was extremely raspy and raw.

"I'm sorry." Ruby whispered.

"It's fine." Neo replied back softly.

"It's not though. It happens every night. I can see the dark marks around your eyes from lack of sleep." Ruby replied harshly, annoyed and angry.

Neo remained calm, used to this anger from Ruby after she woke them up, "Don't worry Ruby, I'm fine. I don't mind helping you out, you're far more important." Neo replied softly.

Ruby started crying out in frustration, tears running down her face at the nightmares plaguing her throughout the day and night, every day.

Neo pulled Ruby into her chest, rubbing her hair in comforting manner while she whispered soft words to her.

This was normal for Ruby, first would be the waking up and sickness from the nightmares. After that would be the apologies and the anger at her inability to deal with the problems and how they're affecting Neo. Lastly would be the guilt hitting Ruby about what she had done and what she was causing Neo to go through.

"Did you take your pills?" Neo asked softly, after a couple months she had managed to get Ruby to see a doctor in Patch. It took endorsements by both Neo and Qrow that the woman was safe to talk to.

When Ruby went, alongside Neo they had spoken about the problems Ruby faced and it was clearly PTSD which had a couple treatment methods but Ruby outright refused the therapy options and so the last option was medicines.

She was given a sleep aid and Paroxetine for it, Ruby rarely took the pills unless Neo prompted her to do so but they didn't seem to do much to help Ruby.

"No." Ruby whispered.

"Ok, would you like me to get them?" Neo asked gently, not pushing the topic too much.

"Can we stay like this a little more?" Ruby whispered.

"Of course. We can stay as long as you want." Neo said comfortingly.

"Thank you." Ruby whispered into Neo's chest, burying her head further into Neo's comfort she was offering.

They stayed peacefully like that for over half an hour before they finally made it back to bed, their position barely changing as they fell asleep lost in each other's bodies.

Ruby had gotten an odd growth spurt over the last six months, neither woman knew the reason behind it but had their suspicions. Ruby now stood at a little over six foot while Neo hadn't grown very much so Ruby seemed like a giant to her.

Ruby had also let her hair grow long as well, not worried about the upkeep of it as much but made sure it was washed and at least straight.

The next morning when they woke up the pair went about their normal routine of sorting out breakfast and looking into what they would be doing for the day.

Normally it entailed being together and reading, or maybe going for a walk around the area or sometimes Ruby would attempt to catch up on sleep she lost during the night, sometimes she never even went to sleep.

Today they were running low on supplies meaning that Neo would need to head out to the town of Patch, which wasn't far off being a small city especially with the school. The entire place being built around the school and needs there.

What changed today was the fact that Ruby had asked after breakfast, "Would it be alright if I went to the town with you?" Ruby asked softly, her voice having an ever present soft, whisper like tone making it hard to hear for people. But Neo was used to it and could understand it easily.

"Of course you can. Will you be alright? Is there anything you want to look at?" Neo asked. Ruby rarely if ever going to town with her so she loved it when it happened.

"I just want to look around the place." Ruby said.

Neo knew exactly what that meant, Ruby wanted to people watch and see how everyone is living now. And she wanted to see if there was anything about herself in the world still, or if she had finally left the public eye.

"Ok then, let's get ready and head into town." Neo replied with a smile.

The pair went to shower and get ready for the day. Ruby dressed in black jeans, red shirt and her corset. She also sported black sunglasses over her eyes and a black leather jacket.

Neo dressed in her brown trousers and a white shirt with her corset over the top and her short white/pink jacket over the top.

"Do you mind if I drive us?" Ruby asked.

"Of course." Neo said, while she was worried about Ruby with her motorbike when she brought it, the woman was always careful when driving and most times Neo would go with her.

Putting on their helmets and Neo grabbed her pink messenger bag the pair went to their bike, both could drive it and Neo would only really use it when going into town.

The bike was a Ducati which could handle the forest they lived in but it also had two sandal boxes to store things inside when they went to town.

The drive into town was uneventful, Ruby normally wouldn't go very fast when she had Neo with her unless the woman wanted her to.

Luckily for Ruby, Neo allowed her to go fast meaning that they did get to town faster but Ruby was able to take her mind off things as she focused on driving.

They lived in a two story house about twenty miles from the only town in Patch which had a mixture of things there to mainly cater for the students of the school.

This meant that they had food shops, other goods and even weapon shops although Ruby hadn't stepped in one for months now.

They planned on seeing Qrow that day as well for their monthly visit to the man which they didn't always make. Even though Ruby had been in Patch for six months and seen her uncle a number of times she never saw the friends she had known in her Signal days, and she highly doubted they even knew she was there.

Arriving in town they stored the bike away near signal, a safe area that Qrow had found for them. Once they were done they started to enter the town itself.

Neo linked her arm with Ruby's to help relax her, noticing the nervous posture that the woman had while walking through the town.

Ruby was almost jumping at shadows and anyone she saw in the street and on occasion Faunus as well, but Ruby managed to stay focused.

Entering the main supermarket for the town, Ruby pushed a trolley while Neo picked out different foods and drinks, alongside a few other things.

Eventually when they arrived at the tills they placed everything on the conveyer while they waited for the person ahead of them to finish up.

"Oh, I forgot something. I'll be one minute." Neo said quickly, checking with Ruby as she tensely nodded her head as Neo walked off quickly to another part of the store.

Ruby waited nervously for Neo to return, her hidden eyes taking in the area around her. She saw the customer in front of them talking with the cashier. She noted the fact that there were other people outside the store and some around the store as well.

She spotted a group of students walk into the store chatting happily with each other and Ruby could see the happiness emitting from them in waves.

Ruby saw one of the students point towards her and say something to her friends before they all looked at her.

Turning away Ruby felt nervous and bad for looking at them and found out for looking at them. She could barely remember when she was like that even if it wasn't long ago.

Ruby's mind started to wander from that single thought through everything she had been through and what had changed her in such a short space of time.

She didn't hear the cashier calling out to her, asking her questions about if she needed help with packing or anything, but instead she was back in Vale fighting Adam, the White Fang and any manner or things. But she wasn't there in that store.

The group of kids had walked over to Ruby, realising who she was and that she was the woman their combat teacher held in such high regard.

They wanted to say hello and maybe talk to her a little alongside thanking her but when they walked over to the tall woman they saw her eyes were wide behind her sunglasses and when one of them spoke up something unexpected happened.

When Ruby saw the four kids walking up to talk to her she saw them as White Fang soldiers with weapons trying to attack her.

Running on pure instinct she reached round to the small of her back, where she normally stored her beloved weapon but when she found it empty she started to move backwards while holding out her hands in defence.

The students looked confused and one brave girl tried to move forward to try and calm the woman down but only seemed to startle her more as she jumped back.

When more people started to crowd around Ruby to try and calm her down she did what a cornered animal would do. She attacked.

Some of the people jumped back in surprise while the students were about to step in to stop her from hurting herself and others but found they didn't need to.

Like a blur Neo stepped in front of Ruby, hand raised to her cheek speaking softly but her voice firm and commanding as she said quietly, but everyone could hear.

"Ruby, it's Neo. You're safe, remember. _Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night.'"_ Neo said.

Ruby's eyes blinked fast behind her sunglasses as she focused onto Neo's hand and words, those two lines repeating themselves and resonating in her head.

She stumbled back, struggling to find her balance as she moved a hand out to support herself. Neo caught her before she could fall completely as she started to speak again.

"There you are." She said softly, "Let me see those beautiful silver eyes." Neo whispered as she reached her other hand up to lower Ruby's sunglasses slightly.

"Did I hurt anyone?" Ruby asked her voice even softer than normal.

"No you didn't sweetie. You pulled out of it before you could." Neo answered honestly.

While this entire exchange was happening the four signal students were dispersing the small crowd that had gathered around them and wandered off themselves when it was clear.

"Let's get our stuff and meet your uncle, ok? Do you still want to see him?" Neo asked gently.

Ruby just nodded her head, not completely trusting her voice at the moment after realising how close she had come to hurting people and losing it again.

Neo never took her hand from Ruby's as she intertwined them together as she apologised to the cashier and went about packing their stuff into bags.

When they had finished they took it all back to their bike and stored it safely, putting in some of the chilled and frozen foods into a specialist storage box which was cold.

After making sure their bike was secure they went towards Signal academy, the guards letting the two women past without any concern, knowing the pair by now.

They went towards the large gym and arena where Qrow almost lived as he was almost always found there either teaching students, practising himself or working on other things.

Entering the large hall they found that a class was currently in session and so they stood to the side and watched the class.

There was a small seating area where the two sat, or rather Ruby sat down and Neo sat on her lap wanting to keep close.

Ruby kept her hand linked with Neo's and rested it on the shorter girl's stomach with her second hand and buried her face into her shoulder, not wanting to watch the fighting going on, even if it was only practise.

Neo understood Ruby's reluctances for fighting and she didn't like coming during fighting practise but she also knew that it would happen.

She placed her hands over Ruby's, gently stroking her hand in comfort as they waited for the class to be over, one saving grace was the fact that no one seemed to notice them sitting there.

The class lasted another hour until they had finally been dismissed for the day, the two women remained sitting there while a group of students remained behind to talk to Qrow.

Neo noticed that some of the students talking with Qrow were from the supermarket from earlier but she kept this to herself.

After a few minutes Qrow noticed them and wandered over speaking warmly, "Girls. It's great to see you. How have you been?" He asked, moving to hug both women in one go.

"We've been fine. A little scare earlier but we've been alright." Neo said, not wanting to go into too much detail as she saw some students still milling behind.

"Good, good. Sorry these four are my best students and they told me what happened today." Qrow said, quickly dismissing them as he spoke to his niece and her girlfriend in private.

"How has it really been?" Qrow asked, seeing that Ruby had fallen asleep on Neo.

"The nightmares are still there and she doesn't take her pills very often either. She still doesn't eat a lot and when she does it normally comes back up after the nightmares." Neo informed him.

"She still doesn't want to see anyone?" Qrow asked.

"No, she talks to me about it sometimes but I'm not entirely sure what I can do to help her." Neo said honestly.

"Just be there for her. It's all she needs right now. I'd hate to think if you weren't here and she was handling this alone what would happen." Qrow answered.

Neo just nodded her head when she felt Ruby's breathing change ever so slightly and the woman started to wake up.

Groggily she noticed the man in front of the pair and said, "Hello Uncle." She said in her soft voice.

"Hey sweetie. How are you?" Qrow asked happily.

"I'm alright. What about you?" Ruby asked.

"Oh I've been busy, there's rumours the head teacher will be retiring and apparently I'm the most likely to take over. Meaning even more paper work." He said jokingly.

Ruby smiled slightly as she said, "That dreaded paper work."

"Yep. So want the usual update?" Qrow asked.

Ruby nodded her head as she waited for her uncle to continue on, her hands gently rubbing Neo's stomach.

Qrow smiled warmly at the pair, seeing how perfect they were with each other before he started to speak up. "Your old team are all good. Ozpin made Weiss the leader and kept them as a three woman team in the end. They've toped their year in multiply tests and it seems everyone in the school has gotten better."

"That's good." Ruby said softly.

"Yeah. Coco and Velvet are still together and strong, they miss you two and want you to visit or for them to visit you, but they don't know where you are. I can give them some contact information to talk to you over scroll?" Qrow offered.

Neo looked towards Ruby, looking over the sunglasses to see what Ruby would say and when there was a small nod she said, "Of course, we don't want to tell them exactly where we are yet but I think talking to them again would be a good thing."

"Ok then. Summer is doing really well. She's taken on a teaching position at Beacon, not wanting to get into too dangerous stuff after what happened before. She misses you a lot but understands your need to get away from everything and hopes you get in contact again soon." Qrow told them.

The pair just nodded in understanding, knowing it hadn't changed too much from before and Neo chose to ask, "What about Emerald?" She asked after the green haired woman.

"I was wondering when you'd ask." Qrow said with a smile, understanding the part the woman played. "She was pardoned for her help with finding Ruby and discovering certain things about the White Fang and the leaders. Ozpin offered her a place in Beacon and she accepted but hasn't got a team, rumour is she might be put on your old team." Qrow informed them.

Nodding the two women spoke more with the man about various things going on in the world and the different Kingdoms and after a couple hours together they parted ways.

When they returned home later that day they had gotten a message from Coco and Velvet saying that they were missed by all those at the academy and asked how they were doing.

Ruby was the one who typed out a message in reply by saying that they missed them to and in response to how they were doing she said, _'We're coping.'_

 **A/N**

 **PTSD affects a large amount of people, not just veterans of war but instead those who have traumatic experiences. There are some treatment methods, mainly therapy but also medication. According to the NHS website the medicine I mentioned, Paroxetine is actually for PTSD treatment but there are also three others on the website which are anti-depressants. As I said there are other methods of treatment but the way I have Ruby in this universe is she only trusts Neo to talk about what happened.**

 **Another fact I learnt, it is quite common for veterans to get motorbikes and I quite like motorbikes so the pair have one.**

 **The tattoo was supposed to be introduced another way but I sort of forgot. Black Roses tend to be associated with death and the tattoo itself is something I'm contemplating getting myself on my own wrist but would be red-black roses and green stems locking each rose together around my wrist.**

 **Anyway that's the first one. The next one will be about three years later. Thanks for reading.**

 **Another side note, I now have a PS4 and my name is RavenRose8 so if you want add me, but tell me where you're coming from so I know.**


	2. Yes

**Suffering in Silence short stories- Yes.**

 **Three years later.**

Since those first six months Ruby had slowly started to heal, talking with Neo helped a lot and she sometimes spoke to Qrow about it as well.

The nightmares became less frequent and she was slowly getting her appetite back and would eat more but it still wasn't where it used to be.

They started to talk to Velvet and Coco, even meeting up in Vale on occasion but never back to their home as it remained their little hideaway from the world.

After about a year and a half Ruby slowly started to fight again, while never against humans she fought against Grimm but her beloved weapon remained locked away in a room inside their house.

So she used a sword that she crafted to use against the Grimm and slowly started to take contracts from Ozpin and other hunters as she discovered she and Neo had been made official Huntresses, so the pair would complete contracts, partly for the money but also because it was a key part of Ruby's healing.

About three months ago Ruby finally met her mother for the first time since leaving, she had asked Qrow to set up the meeting and went to a small café in the town.

It was warm out so Ruby wasn't wearing her large, padded leather jacket but instead something else. Neo had gotten it for her last Christmas as she loved Neo's jacket so much. So Neo got one made up for Ruby that was red on the outside but white, pink and brown on the inside and over her chest was a small stitched black rose. The sleeves stopped just short of her wrists revealing her tattoo of the black roses around her right wrist while she got a matching tattoo on the left but had red roses instead.

She wore a corset that was big enough to cover most of her stomach and chest, similar to Neo's as well but kept the black jeans, boots and even kept her sunglasses, still not wanting attention drawn to herself or to really look at people.

Arriving at the small café ahead of time Ruby sat down and ordered a water while she waited for her mother to arrive, and with practised ease she looked around the area to take in everything and everyone around her, checking for threats.

She was much better than what she used to be, she rarely had issues being out in public although she didn't enjoy it. But she wasn't always believing people were out to hurt her, but if people came too close too quickly she would assume as much.

Ruby saw her mother arriving from down the street and when she noticed Ruby her face brightened up immediately. Summer Rose had come in casual clothes, wearing blue jeans and a white shirt with her hair hanging loosely down her back.

As she reached her daughter she hugged her warmly and the two shared the embrace for almost a minute before breaking apart and sitting down opposite each other.

"It's been so long, I really missed you dear. I'm glad to be able to see you again and not just hear how you're doing from Qrow." Summer said warmly.

"I'm sorry about that. I just wanted…." Ruby started to explain before being interrupted.

"I understand Ruby, with everything that happened. I understand wanting to get away from it all and struggling to bear all that pain." Summer said honestly.

"Thank you." Ruby said.

"It's fine dear. And this new soft way of speaking suits you very well dear. Although I do sometimes miss that childlike enthusiasm you always had." Summer said.

"We all have to grow up sometime don't we?" Ruby said, her voice slightly cold.

"Of course we do dear, but not as fast as you or Neo did. How is she doing?" Summer asked, changing the topic easily.

"She's doing great. She's part of the reason I wanted to see you today." Ruby stated.

"Oh? What is it? Am I going to get some grand kids?" Summer teased.

Ruby actually blushed, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks as she said. "We uh, we haven't had sex since the night I gave myself up." Ruby said honestly.

"Oh. I would have thought you two would be having sex with the way you look at each other." Summer said, slightly surprised.

"Huh?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Well your eyes light up even when you're talking about her. And there's a warmth in them that I rarely see in them now. Even your uncle has noticed it." Summer said.

"But how can you see my eyes?" Ruby asked, once more confused.

Summer laughed at the slightly stunned look on her daughters face, "You are my daughter, and it's quite easy to see your eyes through those sunglasses if you concentrate hard enough." Summer informed her.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about? Unless it is about the two of you having sex then maybe Yang would be the best bet for tips." Summer teased.

Ruby blushed once more, this time a little more than before as she asked, "It's not that. I know the reason behind it." Ruby informed her after regaining control of her face and emotions.

"What is that? If you don't mind me asking." Summer asked, as a coffee was set down in front of her by a blushing waitress.

"I don't have a sexual drive. Or well I either lost it or never had one. Neo's the same so neither of us care too much for sex. We're strong without it and intimate in our own way." Ruby explained.

"I see. I'm sorry if I suggested anything that made you annoyed." Summer apologised.

"It's fine. We both understand how most people view relationships and sex being linked. What did you mean about Yang?" Ruby asked.

"Oh don't you know? She and Blake are dating now, it hasn't been long, about a year I think. Anyway they are apparently very loud and active when it comes to bedroom activities. At least other students try and keep it quiet." Summer informed her.

"Ah I see, I'm happy for the pair of them." Ruby said, taking a sip of her drink.

"You know Yang misses you right? I think she still feels a little guilty over what happened before." Summer said.

"I've forgiven her, we haven't really kept in contact with a lot of people. Only really Qrow but that's only once a month. We speak to Coco and Velvet regularly enough but it's only a few messages back and forth to see how we're getting on and if anything new had happened." Ruby informed her.

"I know that, but I don't think your sister does. Maybe make it a point to try and speak to her if you can." Summer suggested.

"I'll think about it." Was all Ruby said.

"Good enough for me. So what was it you wanted to talk about?" Summer asked, wanting to get onto the real reason now.

"I want to ask Neo to marry me." Ruby stated plainly.

"So you want my blessing? Or something else?" Summer asked calmly, which threw Ruby off.

"Huh? I thought you would be freaking out or saying we're too young." Ruby said.

"Really? Well to be honest I thought you two were already married but didn't tell anyone. And well you grew up fast Ruby, both of you did. You're both the youngest ever official huntresses in the world so I can't really use that excuse can I? Plus I'm happy for you." Summer said happily.

"Oh." Ruby replied weakly.

"I pick up on the little things dear, becoming a combat teacher highlights this even more when picking up flaws in students fighting styles." Summer said.

"How is the job?" Ruby asked, curious about her mother's job at Beacon.

"It's great. Oddly enjoyable as well, I thought it would be hard but it wasn't. It's been a few years so I've settled into a nice routine now." Summer informed her, "Anyway you have my blessing for the two of you. Have you planned anything out yet?" Summer asked.

"Um no we haven't, I uh haven't asked her yet." Ruby said weakly, blushing at being caught out.

"I see. I'm guessing you haven't gotten a ring yet, so you want my help. Correct?" Summer worked out.

"Yes, that's it. Do you mind?" Ruby asked.

"Of course not. Hmm if I remember correctly there is this really good jewellers not far from here. I got my wedding ring from there. He should still be there." Summer said, lost in thought for a minute.

Ruby listened, not wanting to interrupt her mother speak about her father, all she knew was that he died before she was born protecting a town from a Grimm attack, succeeding but he succumbed to his wounds shortly after making sure the town was safe.

"Anyway, I remember the way so if I just pay the bill then we can go if you like." Summer said.

"Ok then." Ruby pulled out some Lien leaving it on the table with a hefty tip as her mother was about to take her own money but was stopped short with a sigh.

They took the short walk through the streets of Patch town in content silence until they arrived outside a small shop named _Huntress Gems_ that had a small window displaying a few pieces of jewellery but that was it.

Entering the store they came across an old man behind the counter looking at a gem in his hands, he looked up upon hearing the door ring to alert him to customers.

"Welcome to Huntress Gems, what can I do for you?" The man asked.

"Hello, my daughter here is looking to propose to her girlfriend and she's looking for a ring." Summer informed the man.

"Ah young love, such a lovely thing." The man said with a large smile as he turned his attention to Ruby. "Now my dear, what is her name?" He asked.

"Uh it's Neo." Ruby told him.

"Neo, is it short for Neopolitan by any chance?" The man asked.

"Yes it is, how did you know?" Ruby asked.

"I had a hunch. Now what is your name?" The man asked.

"Um my name is Ruby and this is my mother Summer." Ruby told him.

"Ah wonderful names. And I believe I have just the ring for you, I won't be but a minute." The man said before vanishing through a door to find a ring.

Ruby was silent as she thought over the conversation and how random the man seemed to be.

"He is a little weird, but he is a master at his trade and he always seems to have the perfect rings." Summer said.

"I hope so, I'm not sure how I'm even going to propose." Ruby said, slightly scared.

"Well normally you get down on one knee, give a little speech and show her the ring and ask the question." Summer teased.

Ruby laughed slightly at the response, "It sounds easy when you say it like that." Ruby replied.

Before Summer could reply the man came back to the store with a black velvet box in his hands and placed it on the glass in front of them.

"Now why don't you have a look at this?" He said, opening the box to show them. "Pick it up and have a look." He pushed.

Ruby took the ring out of the box, it had a gold band with markings inside but Ruby looked at the diamond on the top.

The diamond at first glance looked clear but when Ruby looked closer she saw that there was multiply colours, there was pink, brown and white all mixed into the gem giving it a constant swirling mixture of colours.

Turning the ring around so she could look inside she saw a small engraving of the Moirai symbol with a sideways eight and another symbol that she didn't recognise as well, so she asked what they meant. "What do the symbols engraved mean?" She asked.

"Ah well you have a tradition infinity marking to say that it is for ever, but also the symbol for the Fates and that last symbol is said to stand for the mate of Fate's chosen." The man said, a weird twinkle in his eyes.

Ruby nodded slightly, understanding the meaning easily but didn't want to speak up but she loved the ring and thought it was easily perfect. "How much?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing. Take it Miss Rose, it's the least I can do for saving everyone and all that you did." The man informed her with a wide smile.

"I can't just take it, this must have cost a lot to make." Ruby almost cried out.

"I'll let you in on a secret. I found this ring and I've been waiting for the right person, it is clearly intended for you to give to Miss Neo. So please take it." The man said.

"I can't just take it for free though, at least let me give you some money." Ruby said.

"You won't take no for an answer will you?" The man laughed, "Fine, if it will make you take it." The man said.

Ruby handed over more than enough money for what the ring was worth plus extra. As the pair were leaving the man said, "Ah Miss Summer, could I speak to you for a moment." The man called out.

Nodding Summer stayed behind while Ruby went on ahead as she walked back over to the man.

"The rings are a matching set, I found both together and I believe it is for Miss Rose." The man said, handing over another box.

Opening up the box Summer saw the same engravings as the first ring but the diamond was replaced with a dark red ruby, the colours swirling in a mixture of black and red.

"Take it, give it to her intended I'm sure she will know what to do with it." The man said to her, smiling at the woman.

"Thank you so much, for all of this." Summer said warmly before leaving to follow her daughter.

The pair parted ways with promises of more meet ups and with a promise of telling her about how it all went.

When Ruby returned home she found Neo sitting in the living room listening to the TV while she was buried in a book in her hands.

Leaning down Ruby hugged Neo and kissed her cheek, when she pulled back Neo brought her down again and kissed her on the lips.

The kiss lasted a minute before they pulled away breathless with warm smiles on their faces, "I'm going to start dinner." Ruby informed her.

"Ok." Neo replied, standing up as the pair went into the kitchen. While Ruby went about getting everything together for dinner, a simple Sheppard's pie. Neo started to ask about her day.

"So how was your mother?" Neo asked, sitting on top of the counter.

"She was good. She enjoys her new job and missed us but she understands why we needed to get away." Ruby told her.

"That's good then, get everything you wanted to today?" She asked, watching as Ruby cut some vegetables up.

"I did." Ruby said, faint traces of a smile on her lips.

"That's good then." Neo said.

"How was your day? Do much?" Ruby asked in reply.

"It was good, I finished one of the books." Neo said.

"Which one?" Ruby asked, as she put the vegetables into a pot and started peeling and cutting the potatoes.

"Playing Passion's Game. It's really good." Neo said.

"We've got the sequel as well." Ruby informed her.

"I know, I've already started reading it. It's getting really interesting." Neo said excitedly, really enjoying the book.

"Well why don't you carry on while I make dinner? It'll be about half hour to forty five minutes." Ruby informed her.

"You sure?" Neo asked.

"Yep, once everything is on I can join you." Ruby told her.

"Alright then." Neo said, leaving the kitchen to sit back down and read her book.

Ruby reached into her pocket to feel the now familiar shape of the velvet box sitting in her pocket. Running her hand over it to make sure it was there before continuing on cooking the food.

Putting on a timer once it was all on Ruby went into the living room and laid down next to Neo, bringing the smaller woman between her legs as she read over her shoulder.

The pair sat quietly reading the book with the TV on in the background showing some sort of movie that neither woman was paying attention to.

All too soon the timer started going off meaning the food was all cooked and now Ruby just needed to mix it all together and mash the potatoes.

It didn't take long for both woman to be sitting opposite each and a bowl filled with their food sitting in the middle and Ruby had even gotten a bottle of wine for the pair to drink although neither woman particularly enjoyed alcohol, but for whatever reason Ruby had brought it for a reason so she was happy to have it.

They made idle conversation while they ate, neither going into too heavy topics while they ate as they wanted to keep it simple.

As they finished eating Neo thanked Ruby for the meal and was about to start clearing away the dishes when Ruby stopped her.

"What is it?" Neo asked.

"We've been together a while, we've been through a lot in that time as well. I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through all of that without you there. You're my girlfriend but more importantly my best friend as well. You've put up with me a lot over the last couple of years and have been through everything with me, the good and the bad." Ruby started to say, sharing with her all of her thoughts and feelings.

When Neo was going to interrupt Ruby just held up a hand to stop her from talking, "You've done so much for me and I feel like I haven't done that much for you, but I feel so lucky to have met you when I did and with how everything that has happened since that point, I don't regret a single moment of it." Ruby explained, slowly moving out of her chair to stand in front of Neo, taking her hands into her own.

"I don't know a lot for certain nowadays, each day is hard in its own way but it's made easy knowing you're always here to support me. When I almost attacked those people in the supermarket you were there to pull me out of the memory and bring me back. You've done it so many times for me and I wish I could pay you back. One thing I know for certain though is that I love you with all my heart and would like to be with you for the rest of my life." Ruby said, bending down onto one knee and pulled the black box from her pocket.

She opened it in front of Neo, raising the ring up to Neo as she asked, "Neo, would you do me the honour of marrying me?" Ruby asked, her voice firm and unwavering.

Neo raised a hand to her mouth, choking back a sob as she launched herself at Ruby wrapping her in a tight hug, and kissing her passionately before she pulled back to say, "Yes, a millions times yes." Neo almost shouted, kissing Ruby once more.

"What?" Ruby asked stunned.

Neo just smiled at Ruby as she said it once more. "To answer your question of if I will marry you, my answer is and will always me." Neo leaned in to kiss Ruby once more as she breathed out huskily, "Yes."

 **Books are Playing Passion's Game and Playing in Shadows by Lesley Davis. Great books, I highly recommend you read them.**


	3. Doubts

_"You can't patch a wounded soul with a Band-Aid."_

 _― Michael Connelly, The Black Echo_

 **SIS-Doubts**

Neo was awoken by a loud crashing sound coming from downstairs alongside some shouting that prompted Neo to rush out of bed as she discovered Ruby was no longer next to her.

Running out of her door and quickly down the stairs she discovered the cause of the commotion. Ruby dressed in only her long shirt and panties was standing in the middle of the hallway, her sword raised and ready to strike out at some invisible enemy.

Neo slowly approached Ruby with her hands raised up to show she was no threat, she was dressed similar to Ruby but wore a bright pink shirt, opposite to Ruby's dark red shirt.

"Ruby, sweetie it's Neo. You're safe, you're alright. Nothing is going to hurt you." Neo said quietly, her voice level and comforting.

"Neo?" Ruby asked, her voice soft and broken.

"Yes. I'm here Ruby. You're safe, do you know where you are?" Neo asked gently, slowly advancing forward with her arms up.

"I'm….I'm in Vale. There are White Fang everywhere. We need to hide. Now!" Ruby almost shouted but her voice could barely reach its old level, now it sounded like a whisper compared to its old tone.

"We're not in Vale, there's no White Fang anymore. We in Patch, do you remember? We're in our own house, remember? We left Vale to live by ourselves." Neo said patiently, her hand finally reaching Ruby's, gently taking the sword from her hands.

"I…we….I…" Ruby stumbled out before her knees grew weak and she fell down to the ground as she started to cry out.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ruby kept repeating, unable to stop herself but as she was about to use her semblance to run Neo grabbed a hold of her.

"Where are you going?" Neo asked, her tone light and gentle.

"I can't be here, I can't be with you. I'm broken, how can I stay with you when I'm this broken? You can't marry me like this. I need to leave." Ruby said in a rush of words as she tried to escape Neo's grasp.

"I don't care. I love you Ruby and I'm staying right here with you. And if you truly think you can run away from me then you are sorely mistaken." Neo stated gently.

"But why? I'm broken." Ruby burst out in fresh sobs.

"You are not broken, we all have our scars but that doesn't mean I love you any less. And I plan on marrying you in two months' time, so don't you dare back out now." Neo said kindly, hugging the woman tighter.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I love you." Ruby cried into Neo's shoulder.

"I love you too." Neo said, not asking why Ruby was acting like this. It had happened before and it seemed the wedding didn't help her with her insecurities about their relationship.

Neo noticed that Ruby was soaked in sweat from her nightmare, she didn't even have to ask as she already knew what one she had based on the reaction.

"Let's go get you cleaned up and we'll go back to bed, ok?" Neo asked gently as she made sure Ruby was ok with moving.

Feeling Ruby nod into her shoulder she easily picked up the girl who had lost an almost unhealthy amount of weight and never put it back on, even within the three years of leaving Vale.

Neo carried Ruby up to the bathroom in their room and sat her down on the toilet as she went to grab a spare change of clothes for Ruby.

Grabbing a shirt and panties for Ruby she went back into the bathroom to help Ruby strip off her clothes and get her under the shower head to clean up.

Ruby just sat there allowing herself to be moved and directed by Neo as she was too numb to do anything else.

Neo washed the sweat off Ruby's body quickly before finally drying her body and dressing her again. After some time the pair returned to be with Ruby buried into Neo's body in whatever comfort she could gain from the smaller girl.

It wasn't until the next morning did what happen the night before sink in to Ruby, it was as if last night was all a dream for her when she woke up the next morning.

Ruby awoke early in the morning as she did every morning and she awoke with tears streaming down her face as she silently cried about what had happened.

Ruby looked towards Neo's peaceful face as her heart started to tear into two as she realised she wasn't good enough for her but as she tried to get up and climb out of bed she was pulled into an even tighter grip.

"Where are you going? Such a cute girl shouldn't be so sad in the morning." Neo teased gently.

"Huh?" Ruby said, confused at the sudden change with Neo actually being awake and her comment.

Neo smiled as she saw her plan work as Ruby was stunned giving Neo ample opportunity to sit up and wrap herself around Ruby.

"Whatever doubts or thoughts are in your mind. Push them away." Neo whispered gently into Ruby's ears as she rubbed soothing circles on Ruby's stomach.

Ruby nodded dumbly as she got lost in Neo's body and hands, letting herself relax against Neo.

"Now. What are the thoughts going through your head?" Neo asked once Ruby had relaxed enough, almost enough to sleep it seemed.

"I feel that I'm not good enough for you. I'm broken, I'm like this so often that I don't think you should have to put up with me." Ruby whispered.

"Why do you think that sweetie?" Neo asked gently, not stopping her hands in rubbing her stomach and hair.

"I keep having these flashbacks. It keeps happening more often and I'm afraid for that one time I go too far and hurt you." Ruby whispered brokenly.

"Oh sweetie. You'll never hurt me, and do you forget? I'm a trained Huntress as well, I highly doubt you can hurt me." Neo replied reassuringly.

"But…." Ruby tried to say but was quickly interrupted.

"No buts, although yours is very nice. You won't hurt me or anyone else that sleeps in this house." Neo said firmly but quietly.

Ruby just nodded dumbly as she listened to Neo's words, although not completely believing them they gave her comfort.

"Also if you think you can get out of marrying me now then you have another thing coming." Neo teased.

"That's true. You can be quite scary when you really want something." Ruby teased back softly.

Neo laughed heartily as she replied, "There's the other Ruby I love." Neo teased.

"Other? Are there more Ruby's I should know about?" Ruby asked.

"There's only you dear, I just love every side of you." Neo said lovingly as she pulled Ruby into a deep kiss.

Ruby gladly returned the kiss and pulled her into another shortly after the first ended before breaking apart as Neo said, "Now why don't we get a little more sleep before we need to get up?" Neo suggested.

"Aren't you meeting Coco, Emerald and mother in an hour?" Ruby asked.

"It's six in the morning sweetie, I'm not meeting them till nine." Neo replied.

"I'm sorry." Ruby replied, looking away.

Neo smiled softly, planting a soft, chaste kiss on Ruby's lips as she replied, "Never apologise for this sweetie, you can't help it. No one can, I love you and that's all you need to know. I'll help you always push away your doubts."

Ruby nodded her head returning the kiss as she pulled herself into Neo as she buried her head into her chest as Neo stroked her hair, pushing away every doubt.


End file.
